Mia's Sympathy
by Brat Monkee
Summary: Mia's slumping into a 'everyone else comes first' mode. The guys don't seem to be noticing but two people show up at Mia's house and a new adventure begins....in a different world. Ryo+Mia fic
1. Bad day for Mia

21 year old Mia Koji walked down the stairs wearing a crisp, dark blue business suit. Her long brown hair was pulled back by a set of Chinese hair sticks and in her hand was a leather brief case. As she entered the dining room, she picked up their topic of conversation, "…I am sooo excited for tonight's monster truck rally! Third row seats!" Kento exclaimed, then noticed Mia, "Oh hey Mia."  
  
Cye's head popped out of the kitchen, "Good morning Mia." He greeted cheerfully.  
  
"Morning Mia, sleep well?" Ryo asked warmly.  
  
Her face was one of a slight frown, "What about my birthday tickets?" She asked hesitantly, referring to her opera tickets she received from them. There were six for all of them to go together. There had been a mistake and they had gotten them for a year later rather than a week.  
  
All five of them went into shock. They had forgotten that tonight was the night, "Ah man, we're sorry Mia. We'll cancel." Sage stated with a weak smile, but the disappointment was clearly written over each one of their faces.  
  
She sighed, "No don't. You've been wanting to so this for years and besides, you've got great tickets." She smiled.  
  
"But we promised you first." Rowen argued.  
  
"So? Go on, live a little." She teased.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Ryo asked.  
  
"Positive." She confirmed.  
  
Kento leapt up from his chair and hugged Mia, "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!" He gushed.  
  
She tried to push him away, "Kento, as much as I enjoy your hugs, you're wrinkling my business suit." She smirked. He quickly let go and ran out of the room in excitement and into the kitchen. A sudden crash was heard and they all groaned.  
  
Rowen, Cye and Sage ran into the kitchen to help their friend, leaving Ryo and Mia alone, "Why are you doing this? You've wanted to see that show for weeks."  
  
Mia shrugged, "You deserve a bit of fun," She paused, "Listen, I have to run or else I'll be late. Tell the guys I said bye." With that, she quickly turned around and ran out to her jeep. From inside the house, Ryo heard her engine roar then fade into the distance.  
  
"Well, looks like we should go help Kento, eh boy?" He sighed to White Blaze before entering the kitchen to assist his friends.  
  
*~*~*  
  
When Mia arrived at work, she headed straight to her office where she immediately began her work. She was so engrossed with her work that she didn't notice a hand reach out and touch her shoulder. She was so startled that she almost fell out of her chair. Looking up, she found a young woman grinning at her, "Christ Mary, don't scare me." Mia breathed, holding a hand over her heart.  
  
"Sorry, didn't think you were so wrapped up." The blonde haired girl stated impishly, "Anyway, a few of us were getting together for lunch, wanna come?" She asked.  
  
"I wish I could but I can't. I have to finish the final confirmation steps if I'm going to get this higher position." Mia apologized.  
  
"You better get that position, girl. Those processes you've been going through have taken too much time for you not to." Mary winked.  
  
Mia gave her a weak smile, "Thanks and give my regards to the others."  
  
"Sure thing, but don't forget to eat something." Mary said as she left the room.  
  
Mia sighed and plopped back into her chair, 'At least I have my promotion.' She thought with a slight smile. She turned around and resumed her typing, attacking her keyboard with a vengeance.  
  
A short while later, an old, plump woman waddled into Mia's office, "Ms. Koji, Director Mistao wishes to speak with you." She announced in a scratchy voice.  
  
"Thank you Mrs. Byre." Mia gathered up her papers and followed the secretary to a large office with a closed door.  
  
"You can go in." Mrs. Byre stated. Mia nodded and pushed open the door where she found a middle-aged man with graying hair behind a desk.  
  
"Thank you for coming Ms. Koji, please take a seat." He offered to a comfy looking chair. She sat down, but sat up straight, "I suppose you know this is about the promotion."  
  
"Yes sir." She nodded.  
  
"Well," He began nervously, "Some problems have come up. There seems to be another candidate for the job…and her qualifications exceed yours." Mia's face remained the same but inside, she was falling, "I called you here because I know that you technically have the job but…"  
  
Mia shook herself out of her reverie and smiled, "Oh no problem, I fully hand over the position to her if her qualities exceed mine."  
  
"This…is alright with you?" He asked, unsure of what she was saying.  
  
"Perfectly, I don't mind at all." The smile remained on her face.  
  
Misato's face lit up, "Wonderful, thank you for understanding," He paused and pulled out a manila folder, "Are you doing anything tonight?"  
  
"No, not tonight." She lied.  
  
"Great! Then would you consider creating the file and presentation on out expenses tonight?" He asked.  
  
"Oh sure." She chirped and took it from him, "When is needed?" She asked as she thumbed through the papers.  
  
"Tomorrow." He stated. That one word caused her eyes to widen and the file to slip out of her hand.  
  
"Sorry." She said meekly, picking them up.  
  
"So can you do it?" He asked firmly.  
  
"Yes, it'll be on your desk by noon." She said as she stood, and turned around.  
  
"No, I need it by eight am." He confirmed. Mia sighed and closed her eyes before nodding.  
  
"Eight it is, see you tomorrow Mr. Mistao." Then she walked out of the office.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Mia was again at her desk, working on the recently handed project when Mary came to the door, "Hey Mia."  
  
She turned around, "Oh, hi." She grinned, "How was lunch?"  
  
"Great, but we missed you." Mary replied. She paused, "Well, just came to check up on you." She turned to leave to room.  
  
Mia watched her and thought for a moment before calling out, "Hey wait!" Mary turned around as Mia dug through her purse, "I know that you guys wanted to go to the opera tonight."  
  
"Definitely. I am sooo jealous of you Mia."  
  
Mia pulled out her six tickets, "You guys go and have some fun." She handed her the tickets.  
  
Mary stared at them in disbelief, "But Mia, I thought you wanted to go much more than any of us?" She was confused.  
  
"I can't make it," She smiled, "So go and tell me all about it."  
  
The blonde gave her a huge grin and hugged her tightly, "Mia! You are the greatest person alive!" She squealed, "Thank you!" She called as she ran out of the office to tell the others, 'Well I'd better call home and tell the guys I'll be out late.' She thought as she reached for her phone.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
"That was the best thing I've ever seen!" Kento roared as they entered the house.  
  
"Shut up Kento. Mia's probably sleeping." Ryo hissed.  
  
Cye shook his head, "No, he jeep isn't out front."  
  
"I thought the opera would be over by now." Sage mumbled.  
  
"We should go look for her." Ryo panicked. He was about to run to the door and leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Rowen.  
  
"She'll be fine, man. Let's just wait here for her." He stated. Ryo nodded and was about to walk upstairs when he saw the blinking light on their answering machine.  
  
He pressed the button and waited for the message to start. It was Mia's voice that they heard, "Hey guys, how was the show? I'm gonna be out for a while so don't stay up and wait for me, see ya." They last thing heard was the click of the phone, signaling the end of the message. They all decided to head up to their rooms and go to sleep.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Around midnight, the door clicked open and Mia entered the house quietly. She took off her shoes and silently walked up to her room. There, she changed into boxers and a T-shirt. As she brushed out her hair, she pulled out a black suit with a skirt for the next day. When she had finished cleaning up, she flopped into her bed and before she could set her alarm, she was asleep.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mia felt something wet run across her face. She winced and groaned, opening her eyes. She was met by White Blaze's big face, "Go away." She tried to swat him away but he continued to tug at her shirt. Finally, she sat up and stared at her clock, it read 7:40, "WHAT?!?!?!" She screeched, leaping out of bed.  
  
Running around her room, she slipped on her suit while attempting to pull her hair back. She grabbed her brief case and flew out the door and down the stairs. White Blaze followed her around as she went. As she ran past the dining room, the guys watched her go, "Morning Mia. What time-" Ryo began but Mia cut him off.  
  
"Why didn't anybody wake me up!??!?" She cried from the doorway, slipping her shoes on.  
  
Ryo followed her, "Well you looked really tired."  
  
She stopped to look at him, "Ryo, thank you for your concern but I have to get to work."  
  
She turned to leave but her grabbed her arm, "Wait," He stated. Mia turned and he placed an apple in her hand, "Eat this. And try to eat something else."  
  
She smiled sincerely at him, "Thank you."  
  
Mia tried to pull away but he held tight, "Mia, please, be careful. I can see how you're wasting away and it needs to stop. You're to precious to us to do this."  
  
Holding back tears of happiness she nodded. Quickly she leaned up and kissed his cheek before rushing out of the house. He blushed and stared at the closed door when he heard laughing. Turning around, he saw his friends staring at him, "Ohh, does somebody have a little crush?" Kento teased. Ryo growled and lunged at him.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Mia drove insanely down the highway, she was lucky she didn't get a ticket. When she arrived at the office building, she ran to her boss's office and burst through the door, "Here it is!" She breathed, slapping it down on his desk. She bent over to catch her breath as he stared at her.  
  
"Thanks but for future references, be on time." He scoffed.  
  
She looked at his digital clock to see that it was 8:05. Sighing, she nodded and picked herself up, "I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again." Nothing more was said as she exited the office, 'Thank god it's Friday.' She thought, with her last glimpse of hope.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
When Mia drove home, she was slower on the roads and was going home at the right time, 5:30. She smiled at the thought that she could actually sit down with the guys and eat dinner with them. But when she arrived, Mia's smile turned into a frown when she saw them packing up Kento's van. She stepped out of her jeep and looked at them, "Hi." She called.  
  
Cye, who was out by the car looked up and waved, "Hey Mia!" He shouted to her.  
  
"What's going on?" She asked, walking up to him.  
  
"Don't you remember? We're leaving on our camping trip tonight. We'll be gone all weekend." He stated.  
  
"Oh." She gazed at the ground.  
  
"Mia?" Cye asked, concerned.  
  
She snapped up with a fake smile, "Let me go change and I'll help you pack." Before he could argue, she zipped into the house and up to her room. In a matter of minutes, she emerged in a T-shirt and jeans.  
  
Ryo, who was carrying a large bag out, saw her and grinned, "How was work?" He asked.  
  
"It was fine, I'm here to help." She stated in a mock-determined voice.  
  
He laughed, "Well then, you can carry the food. I think if we let Kento do that, he'll eat it all." Ryo joked. She nodded and headed to the kitchen to take the grocery bags out.  
  
*~*~*  
  
About an hour later, the guys were piling into the van and ready to drive off, "Well, I guess I'll see you in three days." Mia tried to be cheerful.  
  
Ryo looked at her worriedly, "Are you sure you want us to go? I can't help feeling that we forgot something." He suggested.  
  
"Well…." She began, but Kento cut her off.  
  
"Nah! Mia would've told us if there was." He said as he pushed Ryo into the car with the others.  
  
"But…"  
  
"Bye Mia!!" They all called to her as they drove off with White Blaze running beside the car. She smiled and waved after them, but when they were out of sight, she fell to the ground, "What about my birthday?" She whispered, tears falling. After a while, she sat up and with her shoulders slumped, she dragged her feet into the house. Once inside, she pulled out her laptop and began her work in front of a warm fire. She worked late into the night and fell asleep on the sofa.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mia was awakened by the loud clash of thunder and lightning. She jumped up and looked out her window to see it was poring outside. The raid hit hard against the window and Mia groaned, "Stupid storm." She mumbled. She realized how grubby she was and quickly ran up to her bathroom to take a warm shower. Once she was done, she changed into a long sleeved shirt and overalls. She returned back down to the living room and turned on the television, 'For once, life is going my way.' She thought, content and for a moment, her mind was off her birthday.  
  
She was able to sleep in late, no loud boys to wake her up, a nice, open, hot shower and a good show on the TV. Mia sighed and stretched back. She was in the middle of her favorite show when she felt something wet on her head. Ignoring it, she continued to watch when she felt it again. Mia whined and let out a pathetic laugh, "Please no." She mumbled, looking up. On the ceiling was a wet spot and dripping down.  
  
In fact, there were a few all over, "Why couldn't this storm wait until the guys came back. This just isn't fair." She groaned, sitting up. Mia walked over to the closet and pulled out her rain jacket and a utility belt. Then she slid on her boots and walked into the rain. She didn't run, knowing it wouldn't do her any good and pulled a ladder out of her shed. She walked to the side of the house and propped it up.  
  
Thunder rolled as she climbed the ladder to the roof. It was slippery and she was careful not to fall. Mia began placing new shingles on and things were going smooth when a strong wind picked p and blew her hood back. She didn't bother to fix it but only continued her work. As the water ran off the tip of her nose, she felt around for another shingle and discovered there were none. She looked up to see her pile had scattered a could feet away, "Great, just great." She spat and moved to grab a few.  
  
As she did, her footing slipped and she tumbled off the roof. Her hand snatched out in the nick of time to grab the gutter, but the rain made it slippery and she fell to the ground. Mia landed directly on her wrist and it hurt. She lied there for a few moments before rolling over with a loud groan. As she sat up, she fell back, crying out in pain. Mia clutched her wrist and noticed how it hung limply, "Owww." She cried.  
  
Using her legs, she stood up and returned to her house where she grabbed her car keys and ran to her car. By now, Mia was soaked and her wrist hurt even more. As best as she could, she drove to the nearest hospital where she entered the waiting room and walked up to the counter. A woman looked up at her through her glasses, "Can I help you?" She asked in a tired voice.  
  
"I need to see a doctor, I think I broke my wrist." She stated in a nicer voice.  
  
"I'm sorry but you'll have to wait." The woman yawned, looking at her nails.  
  
"Ok, for how long?" Mia asked.  
  
"A half an hour." She snapped. Mia sighed and nodded. She walked over to an empty chair and sat.  
  
As the half-hour passed, Mia's turn was almost up when a man rushed in with his little girl. He ran up to the counter, "My daughter's having a hard time breathing, she needs air." He stated worriedly to the rude nurse.  
  
"Sorry, but there's a half an hour waiting period." She said lazily.  
  
"But-" He began but the nurse held up her hand. He sighed, defeated and walked over to sit down with his girl. Mia noticed how she was turning slightly pale and breathing deeply.  
  
Just then, the doctor walked in, "Ms. Koji." He called.  
  
Mia stood up and walked over to the doctor, "Please, replace my turn with that girl's?" She asked pointing to the father and daughter.  
  
The man nodded, "Right away, I need a stretcher." He told the nurse.  
  
She nodded and pressed a button then spoke into a speaker, calling for one. Within moments the stretcher arrived and the doctor walked over to the wan and girl. He explained to them what Mia had done and led the girl over to the stretcher where an oxygen mask was. As the father passed, he smiled gratefully at Mia who smiled in return. She watched them run down the hallway before sitting back in her chair. 


	2. Mia's got a brother?

Doodle-crap! I forgot to write my disclaimers or somethin' like that in the last chapter. Oops. Anyhoo, here's me first posted Ronin Warrior fic and I must say, Mia and Ryo all the way! I don't own them or the others but I own Mike, Lana and any others who you don't recognize ^o^. So please, review my story! Make me happy!  
  
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An hour and a half later, Mia walked out of the hospital with a cast around her wrist and a tired expression. It was still pouring out when she entered her jeep and drove home. The pain was still there but not as great so she sighed and drove home slowly through the pouring rain.  
  
When she arrived at her house. She was about to enter her home but she remembered her roof. Sighing, she returned to the evil ladder and shingles. Mia was getting wet all over again but didn't care, 'My life sucks.' She thought, nailing down another sheet of hard wood. As time droned on, her pounding became harder and tears fell from her eyes, "It's not fair! What does everything bad happen to me!" She screamed with each pound. It was silent for a while until Mia heard the loud roar of thunder. She jumped and lost her footing again, but this time she didn't bother reaching for anything to help her. She just braced herself for the fall but it never came.  
  
Instead she felt herself land in a pair of warm arms. Looking up, she saw a man with shaggy brown hair and dark green eyes. Mia gasped, "Mike?!" She cried.  
  
"Hey Mia, how ya doin'?" He asked jokingly, "I see you're still as clumsy as ever."  
  
"What are you doing here?" She demanded as he set her down.  
  
He gave a look of mock hurt, "I can't just let my baby sister's birthday go unnoticed, can I?" They walked into the house where Mia was met by a cry.  
  
"OH MY GOD!! What the hell happened to you?!" A woman cried. She had cherry red hair with phasing ruby eyes to match.  
  
"Lana! It's so good to see you!" Mia exclaimed.  
  
The young woman snickered, "I'll hug you after you take a hot shower."  
  
"Fine, fine, I'll go." Mia sighed in mock hurt. She walked up the stairs, dripping water behind her.  
  
When she came back she was dressed in a fuzzy, red sweater and jeans. He now dry hair was pulled back with chopsticks. It was then that Lana attacked her in a hug, "Mia! How are you?" She screamed in her perky voice.  
  
"I'm ok, how are you?" Mia asked her.  
  
"You know, the same old, same old." She teased as they sat down together. Mike was already sitting down and he had a big grin on his face.  
  
"So, what's new?" He asked.  
  
"Oh nothing much." She lied. Mia quickly sat up, "Would anyone like some tea?" She asked.  
  
"Uhh, sure." Lana agreed, confused. Mia ran into the kitchen and minutes later, she was trying to balance a tray on one hand.  
  
The two now noticed that her other hand was in a cast. Quickly, Mike salvaged the tea from Mia and Lana sat her back down, "When and what happened to your hand?" Mike asked as he poured the tea and handed it out. The concern in his voice was clear and demanding.  
  
"Oh, this happened today," She smiled impishly, "I fell off the roof earlier as well and you can see." She held it up.  
  
"Are you ok?" Lana asked.  
  
"Oh yeah I'm fine." Mia scoffed, "So how's your marriage holding up?" She asked teasingly. They looked at her hesitantly, "Oh come on. I thought we agreed about this years ago, I don't care."  
  
"Well," Lana began, "I pregnant!!" She cried.  
  
Mia jumped up and hugged her, "Congratulations!"  
  
"So Mia, have you met anyone yet?" Mike asked teasingly.  
  
"Not quite." She blushed, thinking of Ryo. He noticed this and frowned, but said nothing of it.  
  
"Really, there has to be someone." Lana prodded.  
  
"Nope. I'm really busy lately so no time for relationships." Mia explained with a half smile. As they continued talking, both Mike and Lana noticed that Mia hadn't touched her tea and she was looking really pale.  
  
"Hey Mia?" Lana asked softly.  
  
"Yeah?" Mia responded.  
  
"Is there something that you're not telling us." She demanded gently.  
  
"No." Mia said nervously.  
  
"The last time you were like this was when you were in grade school. Look at yourself Mia and tell us that there's nothing wrong." Mike snapped.  
  
And then, Mia finally broke. She let her tears flow down her face and sobs wrack her body. Mike was immediately at her side, comforting his sister with soothing words. Mia then spilt all of her latest problems, including her house buddies and all the things that made her upset, excluding the fact that they were super heroes.  
  
"Oh Mia." Lana whispered, "It's ok, just let it all out." The redhead rubbed her friend's back as Mia cried. They sat like that for an hour while Mia calmed down.  
  
When she did, she looked at her friends with a small smile, "Thank you both. I don't think I would have made it through either of these times without you."  
  
"Hey, that's what we're here for." Mike gave her a lopsided grin. He then grew serious, "Mi, if you want, I can beat the crap out of these guys for you."  
  
She shook her head, "No I don't think so." She yawned, "Wow, all this has really worn me out."  
  
Mike stood up and swept her into his arms, "Well then, I suppose I should put you to bed. Don't worry, I'll fix the roof."  
  
"Mike!" Mia exclaimed, "I broke my wrist not my legs!" She squirmed in his grasp.  
  
"No arguing, I need to make sure you're safe and taken care of." He said sternly.  
  
She sighed and gave in, "Well, make yourself at home Lana." She waved to her friend as Mike ascended the stairs with her in his arms.  
  
"Bye Mia, get some sleep." Lana called before sinking back into the sofa.  
  
Mike walked into Mia's room and drew back the covers on her bed with his free hand. He laid her down and covered her up, "Is there anything you need?" He asked, sitting on her bedside.  
  
"No, I'll be fine." She smiled up at him.  
  
"Please Mia, don't do this to yourself again, it's not worth it; nothing is." He stated sincerely.  
  
"I know, and I'll try to fix it," She paused, "It just feels like I need to make everyone happy."  
  
He shook his head, "No Mia, if anything, people she be trying to make you happy, considering who you are. Now get some rest and later tonight we'll make sure you eat." She nodded as he stood up and shut off the lights to her room, "Sleep well Mia."  
  
"Mmmmm…brother." She whispered happily and closed her eyes. He shut the door and walked down the stairs to Lana.  
  
"How is she?" She asked, concerned.  
  
"Well, it's like when she found out our secret, she believes that her life is only here to please others." He sighed sadly, flopping down on the sofa, "I don't want to loose my baby sister, Lana."  
  
"Oh, Mike." She soothed, "Mia's strong, she'll pull through this and I think now she has a better chance since you're here."  
  
"I hope you're right." He mumbled, "Well, we should start setting up for Mia's surprise party." They briefly kissed before pulling a couple grocery bags out from behind a chair.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Several hours later, Mike and Lana stood marveling the living room as it was now covered with streamers, balloons and a bunch of party food. There was a stack of movies on the table next to the few presents they had brought along, "A job well done." Mike stated and Lana nodded.  
  
They suddenly whirled around when they heard the front door click open gently. It was followed by voices, "Be quiet! See if Mia's in there, we don't want to be caught." A voice whispered. Anger rose from within Mike as he heard this.  
  
'Those punks! They think that they can sneak in here and everything will be ok?!' He thought angrily. When the first person appeared in the door, tiger-eyes met furious green ones.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked, "And where's Mia?"  
  
"Mia is none of your concern!"  
  
1 To be continued 


	3. This.......is different

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! It's been soooo long since I last updated! Forgive my impudence! Well, here it is, the third chapter of 'Mia's Sympathy'. It's my story but I don't any of the Ronin warriors, Mia or White Blaze but people whom you don't recognize, I created.  
  
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1 Last time  
  
"Who are you?" He asked, "And where's Mia?"  
  
"Mia is none of your concern!" Mike shouted and lunged at Ryo. His fist collided with Ryo's cheek, stunning the Ronin Warrior.  
  
"Mike!" Lana cried. Ryo, fueled by anger, tackled Mike to the ground and a fistfight broke out.  
  
Suddenly, "STOP THIS!!!" Everyone looked to the top of the stairs where they found Mia standing. "What is going on?" She demanded. She was still in her red sweater that covered her hands and jeans except with a bit messier hair.  
  
"Mia? Are you ok?" Ryo asked urgently, attempting to run to her but Mike stood in his way.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine but what's this all about?" She sighed.  
  
"I walk in the door and this guy punches my right in the face." He grumbled.  
  
"Mike!" Mia scolded, glaring at her brother.  
  
"If they think they can just waltz right in here and think everything's ok for not remembering your Birthday, then they're wrong." He snapped.  
  
"But we didn't forget her birthday!" Cye interjected, holding up the few bags they had, also filled with party things.  
  
"Yeah!" Kento added, "We said we went out camping so we could set up for her party today, kinda hoping she'd be out or somethin'." He chuckled nervously.  
  
"We'd never forget Mia's birthday." Ryo stated sincerely, "We may have been a bit dense but she's too important just to blow off for a camping trip."  
  
"Ryo." Mia whispered, tears brimming in her dull eyes.  
  
He smiled up at her briefly before narrowing his eyes at Mike, "And just who are you?"  
  
"I'm Mike, Mia's brother." He stated coldly.  
  
For a moment, the Ronins were taken aback by this piece of information, 'Mia has a brother?' They all thought, "Then why haven't you been coming to any of her birthdays?" Sage asked in a sneer.  
  
Mike and Mia were taken aback, 'H-He's right. Why is Mike here now, u- unless…' Mia thought worriedly. When Mike didn't answer, Mia spoke up in a wavering voice, "Answer him Mike. Why haven't you contacted me in five years??" She asked. He didn't look at her, "M-Mike…why now? Why so suddenly?" She paused, "D-Did he find me, is that why?"  
  
Still, his gaze remained on the ground, "So that's it!" She cried, tears streaking down her pale face. The Ronins watched, confused and Lana stood silently, "I'm just some…some…thing that you need to protect. Helios needs me so you come running to make sure that I…don't…die!" She screamed at him. Mike winced but did nothing.  
  
"Mia, try to understand. If we came any sooner-" Lana began but Mia cut her off.  
  
"NO! I don't want to hear it!" She suddenly had a face of twisted insanity and realization, "No one loves me." She whispered as if it had just dawned on her, then, "NO ONE LOVES ME!!" She shouted and ran back into her room, slamming the door.  
  
"Mia, that's not true!" Mike called, snapping out of his revere. When he didn't receive an answer, he cursed, and began to run out the door when the Ronins stood in his way, "Move!" His eyes glowed a golden color and he pushed through them. He ran out into the raging storm with Lana at his heels. Quickly, the Ronins followed to see Mia standing on her balcony railing.  
  
"Mia!" Ryo shouted, "Please, don't jump!" He cried, but his words were carried off into the wind.  
  
"Don't worry, she won't." Lana reassured.  
  
Suddenly, Mia glowed a golden color, like Mike's eyes, and two snowy white, angel wings sprouted from her back. She jumped off the railing and soared up into the air and over the lake. As she flew, Mike growled in annoyance when a strong gust of wind blew across the land, catching Mia. In her weakened state, her wings disappeared and she plummeted to the lake below, "MIA!!" The Ronins shouted.  
  
"Mia!" Mike called. Then, he too gleamed and a set of midnight black wings, dawned his back. Swiftly, he flew into the sky, whirling in circles to cut through the wing easier and managed to catch Mia in his arms.  
  
She was bawling softly as he hushed her, "Silly girl, always too spontaneous. Don't worry now, you'll be ok. I love you, little sister." Nodding her head, she curled into her brother's warm embrace. 


	4. Who are these people?!?!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT WHITE BLAZE!!! Sorry, about that to those who love the fuzzy tiger. Well, I remembered him towards the end of this chapter so you'll find him. ^---^.  
  
*********************  
  
LAST TIME:  
  
Suddenly, Mia glowed a golden color, like Mike's eyes, and two snowy white, angel wings sprouted from her back. She jumped off the railing and soared up into the air and over the lake. As she flew, Mike growled in annoyance when a strong gust of wind blew across the land, catching Mia. In her weakened state, her wings disappeared and she plummeted to the lake below, "MIA!!" The Ronins shouted.  
  
"Mia!" Mike called. Then, he too gleamed and a set of midnight black wings, dawned his back. Swiftly, he flew into the sky, whirling in circles to cut through the wing easier and managed to catch Mia in his arms.  
  
She was bawling softly as he hushed her, "Silly girl, always too spontaneous. Don't worry now, you'll be ok. I love you, little sister." Nodding her head, she curled into her brother's warm embrace.  
  
*******  
  
When he landed, the others ran to circled around them, "Mia, are you ok??" Ryo asked urgently.  
  
"What just happened?" Rowen asked curiously.  
  
"That was different." Kento scratched his head, causing everyone to glare at him.  
  
"Well, let's not just stand in the rain. We'll all catch a cold if we do; now inside!" Lana demanded. Everyone trudged back into the house and when Mike went through the doorframe, he had to fold his wings back.  
  
Mike set Mia down on the sofa as Ryo ran to get a blanket and Cye ran up the stairs to get a few towels for everyone. Once they had warmed Mia up and had dried themselves off a good amount, Mia spoke, "I'm sorry for causing such a mess."  
  
Lana handed her a cup of tea and Mia sipped it slowly, "Sweetie, you have no reason for being sorry. You had every right to do what you did. A bit reckless, but fair."  
  
Ryo sat down next her, "Do you think you would be able to tell us what's going on?" He asked gently. He placed a hand over hers and quickly recoiled when he felt a large, solid bump. Carefully, he lifted up her arm and pulled back her sleeve, revealing her casted wrist, "What happened?" He demanded sternly yet softly.  
  
"I fell off the roof earlier today while tying to fix it." She whispered. Ryo mentally kicked himself for not being there to catch her.  
  
"I'm so sorry for not being there to catch you." He said sadly.  
  
"It's not you're fault." She reasoned, leaning against his shoulder. Kento was about to tease them but thought better of it, seeing how fragile Mia's state was.  
  
"Cye," Mia called. He looked at her, "Could you please go get my laptop from upstairs?"  
  
"Sure." He said as he ran up the stairs to get it. When he returned, he handed it to Mia who turned it on and began typing furiously.  
  
Mike had now retracted his wings and stood behind Mia. Everyone else was sitting and waiting to see what Mia was doing, "You all know my screen saver of the castle?" She asked. The Ronins nodded, "That's not a picture; it's my home, Helios." When she found nothing but puzzled looks, she continued, "Helios is a different dimension. In a way, you could consider it heaven to earth. The crown family Verilliam has always ruled Helios. That ruler is Michelus, or my brother Mike." She looked back at her brother who smiled reassuringly at her.  
  
"So, you're a king?" Sage asked skeptically.  
  
"Yes." Mike answered, attempting to ignore his tone of voice.  
  
"And that makes you a princess, Mia?" Cye asked. She looked down and nodded while Ryo felt his heart shatter, 'This is great. Mia's a princess! How am I supposed to tell her I love her when she's royalty and I'm just a nobody?' He thought flatly.  
  
"Not just a princess." Mike added. Their attention was turned to him, "Princess Milla is the last hope of Helios." He ran his fingers through his messy brown hair and sighed, "When we were young, an evil power came to Helios demanding to take over the thrown. My parents refused to give in and his hands murdered our father, it was then that I came to the thrown. There was a prophecy that a second child of the royal family would overthrow him and that was princess Milla. In order to keep her from harm, our mother sent her, Lana and I to this dimension to stay with the man you knew as Dr. Koji. A the time, Mia was too young to remember about Helios so we never told her."  
  
"We spent a quiet life living together throughout Jr. high when we felt the dark force stirring in Helios." Lana continued, "Before Mike and I had to return to Helios, we told Mia about her past and spent one final year training her to control her wings and power."  
  
"Lana and I returned home to find Helios in battle with the dark power. I assisted in battling with him and we had almost won. We were about to send him to a prison dimension but he somehow despelled it and landed in some dimension. We've spent the past six years hunting him down in our dimension only to discover he was moved here. That's why we came, in hopes to make sure he hadn't found Mia yet." Mike finished. Then added, "Any questions?"  
  
Cye raised his hand, "So who exactly are you?" He pointed to Lana.  
  
She smiled and locked arms with Mike, "I am Mike's wife, queen of Helios."  
  
"Do all people in Helios have wings and what do you exactly call yourselves?" Rowen asked, studying Mike up and down.  
  
Mia shook her head, "No, only half the people dawn them and we are considered to be called Valkyries."  
  
"So does that mean Lana has wings or not?" Rowen asked and all three shook their heads.  
  
"I'm human, in normal terms." She replied.  
  
"Why are your wings black?" Sage spoke up, "I thought all angel wings were white."  
  
"No," Mike said, "Well, and yes too; it's sort of a myth. Almost all Valkyries have black wings or dark gray ones. It shows that, like normal people, we too can be turned to the dark side. If a Valkyries wings are black then they are like a normal person, about 50% good and 50% evil. The lighter gray the wings are, the more resistant to the dark side they are."  
  
"What about you Mia, why are your wings all white?" Ryo asked the petite girl next to him.  
  
"I'm not quite completely sure of that," She sighed.  
  
"It's because she can resist all darkness of her own will." Mike explained, drawing their attention back to him, "That's why she's the savior of Helios."  
  
For a while, everyone was silent, contemplating different things when Mia spoke, "What are we going to do?"  
  
"We have to return to Helios before the darkness becomes too great." Mike stated. Mia sighed and nodded, "I have to go prepare; Lana, could you come with me." Mike stated and exited the room with Lana on his heels.  
  
Mia stood and began to walk up the stairs was Ryo stopped her, "Mia, let us come with you."  
  
"Yeah! I need some action." Kento hooted.  
  
Mia only looked at them with sad eyes, "I don't want you to get involved or hurt." With that, she quickly ran up the stairs and into her room where she shut the door.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mike and Lana reappeared dressed in different clothes. Lana was wearing a maroon dress with golden trim and a sparkling crown on her head. Mike was clad in a silver armor over a black suit and he too wore a golden crown. His wings were now out and he looked very proud, "Wow, nice clothes." Sage admired.  
  
"Yeah, you really look like a king and queen there." Kento added.  
  
Suddenly, Mia appeared at the top of the stairs wearing a light pink toga- like dress. It fell off her shoulders in slits but was pinned up with small, golden beads. A pair of golden sandals were tied to her feet and she had small pieces of gold jewelry all over. Her hair was pulled back with a gold clip and her wings were also out. She looked like a Greek goddess from a storybook accept with the cast over her wrist.  
  
"Wow, Mia you look great." Ryo admired, blushing as he knew he was staring. She blushed slightly at his comment. When she began to walk down the stairs, her legs almost gave way and she clutched the railing for support. As she got to the bottom of the stairs, Ryo stood by her and helped her to stand. Mike had noticed this and watched the two silently.  
  
"I thank you for looking after my little sister." Mike bowed to the Ronins, "When we meet again, it will be during happier times."  
  
"No way!" Cye exclaimed, startling Mike, "We're coming with you. Mia's our friend and we're not gonna sit by and wait for her to come back home." Mia paled and signaled for them to shut up.  
  
Mike seemed to be chuckling at this, "It would be impossible. You need to have magic to go through the portal."  
  
Ryo glared at him, "We have magic." He growled. Carefully, he left Mia to stand on her own. Pulling out their kanji orbs, they concentrated and soon were wearing their sub-armor.  
  
Mike seemed impressed, "So, you have magic. Exactly who are you?"  
  
"We're the Ronin Warriors." Ryo stated.  
  
He was taken aback, "You're the ones who fought the dark lord?"  
  
"Dark lord?" Rowen asked, "Do you mean Talpa?"  
  
"That is his other name, yes." Mike replied, then turned to his sister, "So this is whom you've been living with. I guess all my worrying was in vain. You were in good hands." The guys smiled at the compliment and Mia's shoulders sagged.  
  
"I guess this means you're coming with us now." She looked at them with a weak smile, "Well, power up. We're leaving now."  
  
Ryo nodded and shouted out, "Armor of Wildfire!  
  
"Armor of Torrent!"  
  
"Armor of Strata!"  
  
"Armor of Hardrock!"  
  
"Armor of Halo!"  
  
"Dou Chi!!" In a whirl of cherry blossoms, they were in their respective armors and standing prepared to travel. Mike nodded to everyone, signaling their readiness and turned to an empty wall. He aimed his arms up and mumbled a few words under his breath. A small breeze picked up in the room and began to swirl against the wall.  
  
Slowly, a portal formed and Mike lowered his arms, "Let's go home." He smiled to them. Taking Lana's hand, he stepped through.  
  
Mia was about to step through when she realized something, "Where's White Blaze?" She asked.  
  
"Oh no! I almost forgot." Ryo whistled and the large white tiger plodded into the house, "We left him outside when we arrived." The tiger looked at the portal curiously then back to its master, "Don't worry, we're just going on a trip. Go on through."  
  
Reluctantly, the tiger leaped through with the Ronins following. Ryo slipped one arm around Mia and smiled at her reassuringly, "Don't wanna loose you on the way there." He joked and together, they stepped through. From behind them, the portal closed up, leaving no trace of them being there except the few party decorations hanging up.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


End file.
